Your Right to Know

WASHINGTON — Eleven Ohio community health centers will receive a total of $6.8 million in
federal dollars under President Barack Obama’s health-care law, the Department of Health and Human
Services announced yesterday. Two Columbus-based centers are among them.

The Columbus Neighborhood Health Center will received $691,667, while the Lower Lights Christian
Health Center will receive $216,667, according to the federal agency.

Lower Lights will use the grant to expand services at its site in Marysville. It had been open
only a half-day a week, but the center plans on extending its hours to 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday
through Friday.

“We’re thrilled,” said Trudy Wilson, director of development for Lower Lights. She said the
center currently reaches out to patients in 60 ZIP codes in central Ohio.

The Columbus Neighborhood Health Center, meanwhile, will use its grant for a partnership with
Berger Health to operate a new site to “meet the needs of the underserved in Pickaway County,” said
Reed Fraley, senior director of Columbus Neighborhood Health Center.

The two organizations hope to begin seeing patients at the new site within four months.

In all, the money will help serve 59,806 new patients in Ohio and more than 1.25 million
patients across the country.

Nationally, centers will receive $150 million in grant awards, divided among 236 centers.